Adjustable paint roller feeder



1955 A. SPRUNG ET AL ADJUSTABLE PAINT ROLLER FEEDER Filed Oct. 19, 1953 4 wi l 2,723,410 ADJUSTABLE PAINT RoLLER FEEDER Abraham Sprung, Brooklyn, N. Y., and Milton P. Phillips, Plainfield, N. J.

Application October 19, 1953, Serial No. 386,819

Claims. c1. -121.

This invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for applying paint to the conventional paint roller, such as is used in applying coating materials to walls and other surfaces. In applying paint to paint roller applicators, it is customary to provide a reservoir in the nature of a pan and to coat the applicator roller from the coating material contained in the pan. Obviously, some means must be provided for supplying a limited amount of paint to the roller surface and heretofore it has been generally customary to provide a pan or container and to arrange within said pan or container an inclined plate which is partially submerged in the coating material contained in the pan. With such an arrangement it is usual to partially submerge the roller in the paint or coating material and then to equalize the amount of paint or coating material on the roller by moving the same back and forth over the inclined surface. In such structures fiited States atefit the amount of paint or coating material contained in the pan must be repeatedly supplied in order that the level of the paint or coating material will be above the inclined pan.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a paint reservoir or pan which is capable of receiving and containing the full amount of paint which is necessary for a single job and to arrange within this reservoir or pan, a horizontally arranged perforated plate which is sup ported for vertical adjustment so that it may be maintairied partially submerged, permitting the paint to feed through the perforations and against a roller which is moved across the perforated plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus with means for suspending the same from the walls of the pan or reservoir, the suspension means being so constructed and arranged as to permit quick and accurate adjustment of the perforated plate.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a paint feeding device for use with rollers which can be adapted for use in a container in which the paint or coating material is initially fur'nished.

A further object of the invention is to provide with the horizontal perforated paint feeding or applying plate a vertical member which is constructed and arranged for use in removing excess paint from the paint roller after the same has been coated.

Other features reside in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will be more fully shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of one of the adjusting elements;

Fig. 4 is a perspective fragmentary view of another form of adjusting element; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the paint applic'ator with the adjusting means used in conjunction with a conventional paint can.

In the disclosure a container is shown as including the base 1, end walls 2, and side walls 3, these side Walls 3 having beaded upper edges as shown at 4. This container is generally rectangular in form and preferably of a depth to contain a predetermined amount of fluid. The container may be constructed to receive a closure plate and used as the initial container for handling and shipping the coating material or paint.

In the disclosure, handles are illustrated at each end at 5 and one of the side walls is provided with hooks 6 for hanging the same over the rung of a ladder such as indicated in dotted lines at 7. It is important that the width of the container be such as to permit the reception of a conventional coating roller such as is indicated by reference character A and to permit movement of the coating roller lengthwise of the container and free of the side walls thereof.

The paint applicator in the instant invention includes a generally flat horizontally arranged elongated perforated plate 10 adapted to be submerged or partly submerged in the coating material in the container, and an upwardly cnrved side wall 12. The side wall 12 may be formed by bending the plate as at 14 and is provided with a plurality of embossments 15 to facilitate the removal of excess paint as will be more fully hereinafter set forth. The flat plate portion 10 is generally of a width to fit freely within the container and to be adjusted vertically therein.

For the purpose of adjusting the plate 10, hangers are provided for supporting the sides of the paint applicator structure; The hangers for supporting the fiat marginal edge portion of the horizontal plate portion 10 includes hooks having depending shanks 17 provided with keyhole slots 18, these shanks 17 terminating at their upper ends in offset portions 19 which are riveted by rivets 20 to the upper marginal side edges of the container. Associated with the key-hole slots 18 are the pins 21 carried at the bottom edge of the plate and which pins, when the plate is positioned within the container, extend into the slots 18 and drop downwardly into the restricted areas of the slots to prevent lateral displacement. For adjusting the other side of the device as defined by the vertical portion paint remover 12, a bracket 30 is provided, the bracket being centrally positioned along one inner side of the pan and being provided with lower inwardly extending portion 31 which is formed with axial openings for receiving the shank extremity of the adjustirig screw 32, the latter being provided with a thumb nut 33 so that the screw can be rotated.

In association with the screw 32 is the plate-like hook 34 having a notch 35 for engaging the sidewalls of the bracket 30 to provide a guiding means to move the guide plate 34 by rotation of the screw 32 which is threaded at 36 through the plate 34. The plate 34 is formed with an elongated up-turned lip 37 which fits in a slot 38 formed longitudinally in the adjacent longitudinal marginal portion of the perforated plate 10. By this means the turning screw 32 will lift the plate 10 vertically to provide any predetermined vertical arrangement of the plate and either horizontally or angularly with respect to the re-' ceptacle structure, it being apparent that the free edge 20 of, the plate can be elevated by shifting the engagement ofthe pins 21 within any one of the key slots 18 of the hanger at the opposite sides of the receptacle.

In use of the present device the receptacle can be suspended by engaging the hooks 6 over the rungs 7 of a ladder, the shanks of the hooks indicated at 40 extending along the adjacent end wall 2 of the pan and having connecting straps 41 which engage the sides of a ladder as shown at 7. The hooks 40 below the transverse connecting straps 41 normally project outwardly at 42 for engaging beneath a stepladder step as shown in dotted lines at 43. This obviously is only one method of suspending the pan which could readily be used with or without the ladder suspending means.

As pointed out heretofore, at spaced points along one longitudinal side wall 3 of the receptacle, the offset depending straps 17 are provided with key-hole slots 18. The perforated plate is provided with pins or projections 21, preferably headed as indicated in Fig. 2, to permit their locking association with the key-hole slots 18. The plate 10 will be adjusted at such a level that the plate will be at least partially submerged or at such a depth that the paint or other coating material will, by capillary attraction or seepage, contact a roller A which is moved across the perforated plate 10, whereby this roller is properly coated throughout its entire periphery. The elevation of the plate at the other end is adjusted by rotating the screw 32 which is provided with the thumb nut 33. The depth of the paint decreases with use and as it decreases the plate is lowered to permit proper coating association with the roller.

A modification of this type of hanger is shown in Fig. 5. In this figure where the paint applicator is used in conjunction with a conventional paint can and where the hanger is not riveted to the upper longitudinal marginal edge of the container, but is in the form of a hook having a shank 17 formed with key-slots 18 and provided at its down-turned upper end portion 19" with a set screw 20 for fixing the same to the edge of a can. Pins 21 extending from the marginal edge of the plate 10 extend into the slots 18 In this form, the hanger shown at 17 is hooked along the marginal edge of wall 3- and therefore removable, allowing the applicator to be used with a conventional paint can. The roller surface being saturated, excess coating material may be eliminated by moving the roller over the vertical portion 12 of the assembly until the roller has just sufficient material on its surface to produce the desired result. In this modified construction the applicator is made to slidably fit within the conventional paint can, where the vertical paint removing portion is slightly higher than the height of the paint can, so that at any point of support of horizontal portion 10 the vertical portion will always lean against and be supported by the marginal edge of the can.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a container adapted to hold coating material at varying levels, means for applying the coating material to a roller without submersion in the coating material, said means comprising an applicator plate including a perforated horizontal flat portion having a transverse marginal edge at one end and a vertical wall portion at the other end, a pin member projecting from said marginal edge, a bracket member attached to a wall of the container, said bracket being perforated for receiving said pin and permitting vertical adjustment of said applicator within the container, and detachable means for adjustably supporting the vertical wall portion of the plate to an opposite wall of the container.

2. In a device of the class described, a container of rectangular form including sides, end walls and a bottom, an adjustable perforated plate arranged within said container, said plate including a vertical wall portion abutting one of the walls of the container, and means for adjusting said plate including brackets arranged along the side walls of the container, the bracket at one side wall including a plurality of vertical slots for association with headed pins carried by the perforated plate, and the bracket on the other side of the container including a vertically arranged threaded element rotatably supported thereon and having threaded engagement with a member supporting the plate.

3. In a device of the class described, a container of rectangular form including sides, end walls and a bottom, said container being adapted to hold a coating material at varying levels, means for applying the coating material to the surface of a roller without submersion in said coating material, said means including a fiat perforated plate extending lengthwise of the container, said plate having a vertically extending wall formed by curving a side of the plate vertically, supports for the free marginal edge of the perforated plate portion, said supports including depending elements fixed to the upper edge of the container and provided with a plurality of key-hole slots, pins fixed to the free edge of the perforated plate for adjustable engagement in said key-hole slots, and a plate supporting and adjusting means fixed to the opposite wall of the container including a vertical bracket member having vertical side walls, a guide plate formed at its outer edge with side wall portions engaging the side walls of the vertical bracket, said guide plate engaging an adjacent portion of said perforated plate, and a rotatable screw member threaded through the guide plate and carried by the bracket.

4. In a device of the character described, a container adapted to hold coating material at varying levels, means for applying the coating material to a roller without submersion in the coating material, said means comprising an applicator plate including a flat generally horizontal perforated portion terminating in a free end and a vertical end portion, said portions being united by a curved portion, and means for securing the free end of the fiat portion vertically with respect to said container, including a bracket fixed to the upper portion of one side of said container and extending vertically thereof, said bracket being formed with a plurality of vertical perforations, and a pin member projecting from the adjacent end of the horizontal plate portion for engagement in said perforations, said vertical end portion having supporting engagement from the opposite side of the container from the bracket.

5. In a device of the character described, a container adapted to hold coating material at varying levels, means for applying the coating material to a roller without submersion in the coating material, said means comprising an applicator plate including a flat generally horizontal perforated portion and a vertical end portion, said portions being united by a curved portion, and means for securing the end of the fiat portion of said plate opposite the vertical portion vertically with respect to said container, including a bracket fixed to the upper portion of said container and extending vertically thereof, said bracket being formed with a plurality of vertical perforations, a pin member projecting from the adjacent end of the horizontal plate portion for engagement in said perforations, additional means for supporting said vertical end portion, including a vertical screw rotatably supported by a bracket supported by the container, and a supporting plate mounted on the screw and having supporting engagement with the applicator means adjacent the vertical end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 987,752 Short et a1. Mar. 28, 1911 1,734,976 McClellan Nov. 12, 1929 2,369,335 Burman Feb. 13, 1945 2,490,546 Rubin Dec. 6, 1949 2,600,197 Braun Jan. 3, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 278,016 Switzerland Jan. 3, 1952 

